A Mediocre March Madness Bracket Thing
9If recent discussions on sports have told us anything about our fellow Mehtizens it's that you are all obsessed with them. Can't get enough. Go Sports!
Well in the spirit of continuing to foster all of your unhealthy sports addictions, we've created A Mediocre Bracket Thing to see just how much you know about the Madness that is College Basketball in March.
Join if you dare, there might even be a really, really, super awful prize for the Mediocrest of them all. Games start on the 19th so get your picks in quick.
For those of you in the know, feel free to post your tips, tricks and general musings about the best methods to pick a bracket in the discussion to help those less informed make their picks.
Here's a quick look at a few trends that tend to take place every year:
- Number 1 seeds don't lose in the first round, it just doesn't happen.
- A Number 5 seed seems to always lose early, in the last 7 tournaments at least one Number 12 seed has upset a Number 5 seed.
- Same thing goes for Number 11 seeds over Number 6 seeded teams.
- Number 13 and 14 seeds are trending up and it's not uncommon to see them advance to the 2nd round.
- There have not been multiple No. 1 seeds in the Final Four since 2009.
All in all, upsets happen, so don't be afraid to pick a lower seeded team to ride with for a few rounds.
Alright, that's it. Best of luck to all!
- 40 comments, 50 replies
- Comment
Tip 6: Never underestimate the power of the underdog. It's a one and done mentality, just one game can make or break a season.
I'm in!
Tip 7: The Selection Committee is comprised mainly of jackasses looking to protect Power 5 Conferences and gain them the most revenue. Plus they make a legitimately good team the last At-Large bid to make it into the tournament because "Fuck you" that's why.
@BillLehecka There's no drama otherwise.
What a game! Home cookin' at its finest.
If you don't pick a 16 seed to go all the way you're just wasting time. I'm in.
Tip 8: Don't sleep on New Mexico State.
Best advice I've received:
I'm totally gonna steal mine from someone who knows way more about this shit than I do. Because it makes sense to do that.
@joelmw @christinewas knows BB too ? ;-) Where has she been anyways ?
@joelmw so someone bumped last years thread up, and I thought it was this years. I hate when that happens. Darn you @stardate8920926!
But the question remains.
@ceagee Ha. No, I didn't steal from her. I think I used the same sportswriter from one of my favorite rags this year and last.
For the record, she surely used to know much more about basketball than she did about football (before Manning and the Broncos). I played in high school, intramural in college and church league when she was a kid. She played a little. We attended University of Montana women's games as a family (they still have a great team, and the same coach); the women were better than their men's team and played more solid fundamentals. We watched the NBA as a family during the Jordan years (I always had a soft spot for Reggie Miller's Pacers and I liked the general style of the Suns and Jazz back in those days too; and I don't deny that Jordan and crew were fun to witness). I've long been a fan of the Madness, even though I don't keep up with any college teams. I like Gonzaga, partly because I almost went there (I had a Catholic fixation as a teenager--weird, I know--and they're sort of local); I like the way they play too.
We pretty much never watched football.
When she was in high school, the band (for which she was a section leader) was the reason to put up with the distraction around halftime (and I was working concessions for the band boosters anyway). Her college alma mater had repeat championship chess teams (and maybe debate?) and not football. She went to a real nerd school.
If anyone could figure out a bracket, I'm sure it's her. I'm just not sure she's motivated. She and the son-in-law do follow Kentucky a bit (he's from around there).
I just joined so you could all laugh at my terrible choices
@darthnater Me too. I know absolutely nothing about college basketball, or really any level of basketball.
@dis_member Knowing something about college basketball doesn't make much of a difference for winning March Madness--unless you know a lot about it. Putting together a good bracket has more to do with stats (the extent of which is mind-boggling) than knowing the game per se. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing; a lot of knowledge can be more dangerous still.
I should have called mine "In my dreams..."
@RedHot You still can.
I was expecting this to be something like number of smart watch sales vs speeker derk sales or something like that, but I guess not. meh.
@Fen_Star It's still not too late. @MEHcus?
@joelmw Maybe we'll save that one for April Madness
I'm in. Cheering for Villanova as I'm 10 minutes from the school. (Though I don't necessarily think they'll win it all.)
"Group Motto: 'Only the Mediocre rise to the top.'" - that doesn't sound rite. shouldn't the mediocre rise/fall to the middle?
Is a prize for the most mediocrest given for landing in the middle of the pack? Winning sounds less mediocre.
@denboy That's what I thought...I started trying to pick all losers and then re-read the rules!
Unfortunately for me, I still probably picked all losers.
@dis_member See you at the bottom
@denboy
ok, 63 coinflips says Villanova is the winrar. GO NICKEL GO!
also some bum already used Lotsofgoats on ESPN apparently. just for the record I'm the original and I have the gmail account to prove it.
Just a reminder that brackets need to be in by tomorrow morning
Tip 9: if your bracket doesn't have Valpraiso playing Northeastern you're doing it wrong
Tip #10 Chalk up the Jayhawks to upset Kentucky in the Elite 8 and your bracket is golden. ;)
@Broseph I love the Jayhawks, but this made me laugh. Sorry.
@barnabee i have this in one of my brackets
@marklog Well, I hope you and @Broseph are right, EXCEPT, I'm also a big
@marklog I'm also a big Wichita State fan. If WSU and KU end up playing each other, it's really going to tear me up as to which team to root for.
@barnabee Love that you love the Hawks. Never know what can happen in March, brotha!
I'm in!
Last chance to get your picks in, games start in about 2.5 hours! You can stream all of the games live here for free.
Well that was fun while it lasted. One of my final 2 teams is already out. I enjoyed the 2 1/2 hours I was near the top.
Holy fuck. Baylor might have just thrown that game away. 2.5 to pull it out. Dipshits. I know I should have played my gut against those Baptists. ;-)
@joelmw Fuckers. That's alright, I'm happy to see 'em get beat.
Ummmm bracket? Isn't that something that holds up a shelf?
There were 11.57 million entries in @ESPNFantasy's Tournament Challenge. After just 3 games, only 86,737 (0.7%) still have perfect brackets. 2 of them are in our pool! Tip of the hat to those guys.
I'll do mine as soon as I finish my "blowing a kiss" video.
Would you believe I picked both UAB and UCLA? I don't think the rest of my bracket will fare so well, but I am happy for a few hours anyway!
I assume I cant get in anymore? aaronhurt1
Whomever is Brian's Busted Bracket, you aren't kidding. That is truly the worst start I have ever seen in the history of ever.
@marklog don't worry, Brian just broke 1% woooooooooo
@marklog He's a friend of mine actually, he did his picks completely based on what mascot he thought would win in a fight
@MEHcus superfight: NCAA mascot edition. Got it.
nice, 63 Flips is right where it belongs at 48.9% accuracy. almost perfectly mediocre.
I'm not last! I am simply mediocre!
This is amusing. I know nothing about this season. And virtually never watch basketball.
But filled a bracket on a whim. Pretty much near random picks, guided by some unknown gut feeling. Even tho my silly SMU pick is out, I'm currently tied for 2nd rank with a 92%. That won't last.
Entertainment value >= Cost to enter.
This was seriously way more fun than expected. I made it up to second place oh so briefly yesterday before Duke sunk me.
@darthnater Those fuckers. I want to hate them, because I love Gonzaga. But they earned the win. Talented group of kids, damnit.
Happy to be tied for 2nd to last with @sohmageek!
Does anyone else thinks it's pretty lame that 3 of the 4 final four teams are number one seeds? Guess I'm rooting for Michigan.
@JonT so we stayed 2nd to last! Congratulations! I think that is a very mediocre job. Double congratulations to Brian's busted bracket for being the most mediocre!
Can I plant all of these seeds and grow a garden?
So I finished 2nd in this thing....does that win anything?
@producepimp
@studerc @darthnater and @joelmw (that's me, but I wanted to be tagged; sue me) are tied for 20th, with a percentage of 52.2. That's just slightly better than 50%, which one could conceivably have achieved with a series of coin flips (I'm sure that's not quite right, but fuck it, it's truthy); which isn't totally awful (yaknow, like everyone who did worse than us ;-) ), but it's not good either.
Seems to me that that's practically the definition of mediocre. Seriously, look at us, right in the fucking barely above middle. If that's not mediocre, I don't know what is (sure, maybe I don't).
That should warrant some kind of prize, shouldn't it, @MEHcus? @JonT?
"Of only moderate quality; not very good." http://goo.gl/d9x84C
@joelmw Hey, I'm in 23rd place, even closer to mediocrity! Share the wealth guys!
@joelmw I had to work very hard at being mediocre, that definitely deserves something
@joelmw A PRIZE?! Ha, that's a good one. Been waiting since September...@JonT...
@cinoclav I hate to say this, but you're slightly less than mediocre. You must have tried too hard and overshot. I'd be willing to grant that you're next most mediocre (but that would technically put you in fourth, since their are three of us at the pinnacle/nadir of mediocrity).
@cinoclav I have to admit--even as I posted my original comment--I considered for a moment that you had a legitimate claim. I almost mentioned it, but didn't want to muddy the waters. In retrospect, muddy is exactly how the waters should be.
But I've given this a little thought and what I think is that to be mediocre and not just an ordinary loser, one needs to ever so slightly clear the "it looks like you weren't even trying" point. I'll grant that I'd be arguing my case if I were in your spot though. But I do think ours is stronger. And I'm not just saying that because it's what I want to hear. Trust me. ;-)
@joelmw OMG, I put a "their" for "there." Damn this unreadable comment box.
@darthnater If you're working very hard at being mediocre, you're doing it wrong. Don't get yourself disqualified.
@joelmw Good point, good thing I really just basically stole my picks from 538.com :)
@darthnater I stole mine from this guy, mostly just because I like the Post. But his reasoning seemed good at the time. http://goo.gl/GpB9gI
@joelmw I have no idea why you would consider yourself closer to mediocrity than I am. There were 48 people entered and you are tied for 20th (technically listed as 22nd) while I am in 23rd place by myself. As 24 would be considered the true point of mediocrity I am actually closer to it than you. Hmph!
@cinoclav hmmm... is mediocrity by mean group score, median group score, or perhaps statistically mean score?
@cinoclav Well,
1) What's more mediocre than being just like everyone else? You're standing out just a little too much all on your own there.
2) Yeah, I came here to say what @Lotsofgoats already beat me to.
3) I still think that mediocre is best defined as just above average, um, I mean mean.
4) You're close to mediocre; I am mediocre. You're correct, you are close. ) Mostly this:
@joelmw No, no, no. Mediocre is certainly not defined as "just above average." It is clearly defined as 'middle-of-the-road' which I am obviously closer to than you and your above average trio!
Seriously, this insanity is exactly why I like you.
@cinoclav Back at ya. :-)
I'm mildly surprised to be tied for third. My method of picking was deciding who had the better name, logo, or location. Sweet.
I'm going to gaze at an image of a third place ribbon for while.
@emilyap That is impressive. You are tied with me, and I copied my bracket from a professional sports writer. Of course, he could have used the same method as you.
@Trillian It would please me so much if he did.
Let's say the chance to pick correctly is 50% because that is the most mediocre of mathematical models.
Round of 64 you average 16 correct picks at 10 points each, for 160 points.
Round of 32 you average 4 correct picks at 20 points each, for 80 points.
Sweet 16, 1 x 40 = 40 points
Elite 8, .2496 x 80 = 20 points
Final 4, .0625 x 160 = 10 points
Win.rar, .015625 x 320 = 5 points
Thus, 315 is statistically average and Brian had us all fooled from the start.
@Lotsofgoats Too much maths. Which is definitely not mediocre. Nice try.
@joelmw I did it while I should have been working, making it sufficiently meh
I'll get another one set up today or tomorrow for all interested.
@MEHcus Hellz yea!
Did a 2nd chance entry.
Main quandary was an ethical and moral one: Tx A&M vs OU. Obviously, both should lose. What to do? OU lived for that moment, to be put out of misery during next round by somebody or other.
UVA over Duke in the final.
f00l has spoken.
@f00l I need Ta&m to lose. Not because of a Texas thing, but because I need someone out who picked them to win (as silly as it sounds)
@mfladd
An excellent reason!
@f00l Stop speaking in year old thread please.
@therealjrn @mfladd @f00l Maybe they are still trying to figure out last year's bracket.
@ceagee I know--I wanted to ace the second chance entry! :frownyface:
@therealjrn
@mfladd
@ceagee
@mfladd
Because: Username, mine